Machine for measuring and examining cloth



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. HEBDON.

MAGHINB FOR MEASURING AND EXAMINING 01.01 3.

No. 415,508. Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

N. PETERS. Phowmrw m hw. Wuhinglnn. D c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. HEBDON.

MACHINE FOR MEASURING AND EXAMINING GLOTH.

, Patented Nov. 19, 1889 WIT Cf Maw/W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VlIiIiIAM IIEBDON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR MEASURING AND EXAMINING CLOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. $15,508, dated November19, 1889.

Application filed April 16, 1889. Serial No. 30'7A5Z. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM HEBDON, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Measuring and Examining Cloth, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple, compact, andefficient machine for measuring, examining, and spreading doublewidthcloths; and it consists in the several improvements which Iwill nowproceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure l is an end elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a topview of the same.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both thefigures.

In the drawings, a represents a supportingframe composed of suitableuprights and cross-bars and provided with hearings to support theseveral shafts and rolls hereinafter described. At the lower portion ofsaid frame is an extension-table composed of sections 2 3, which areadapted to slide in guides attached to the frame, so that said table maybe folded within the length of the frame or may be extended from bothsides of the frame. The outer ends of the sections 2 3 are provided withlegs a it, having casters 5, which rest upon the floor and support theouter ends of the sections when they are drawn outwardly.

1) represents a cylinder journaled in bear ings at about the center ofthe frame a and provided with suitable hands or indicators 7&2 t" andmechanism to operate the same, whereby the number of rotations of thesaid cylinder is indicated.

I have not shown and do not describe any particular indicatingmechanism, as any of the well-known forms of registers or indicatorsadapted to show to the eye the number of rotations of the cylinder maybe employed.

The cylinder 1), which I term a measuring-cylinder, is located betweentwo rolls 0 c, and is used to measure cloth in double thickness, orbefore it is unfolded, the cloth being drawn from the roll in doublethickness and passed under the first roll a, over the measuring-cylinder1), under the second roll 0, and over a roll d, which is journaled atone side of the frame, the cloth passing from the roll (1 to'the section2 of the table and being there deposited as fast as it is measured. I11case it is found that the cloth has the proper measurement and is notlacking in quantity, the sect-ion 2,which was drawn outwardly to receivethe cloth from the roll (1, is pushed inwardly, thus carrying the clothdeposited upon it toward the back of the frame, so that it can beconveniently reached by an attendant and opened or unfolded and carriedupwardly to the devices that expose the cloth for examination. Saiddevices consist of two belts f f, which run upon pulleys g g, the shaftsof which are journaled in the upper portion of the frame, the pulleys 9being located at the back and the pulleys g at the front of the frame.The two belts are located a sufficient distance apart to correspond tothe width of the unfolded cloth, and each belt is provided with twospring-actuated clamps, clasps, or clips h 71/, which are constructed tograsp the ends of the piece of cloth. The clasps are located atcorresponding points on the two belts, so that they act conjointly inholding the end of the piece of cloth-that is to say, the clasps h h actto grasp the first end of the piece of cloth as it is carried up fromthe table 3 below and carry the said end along to the front of themachine. When the advancing end of the cloth reaches the pulleys g g, itis detached from the clamps h h by an attendant and its end is allowedto hang down over the roll 1', which is journaled in the front of themachine. After the detachment of the first end of the piece from theclamps h the belts are stopped, and the operator draws the cloth alongby hand as fast as he can inspect the portions that have passed over theroll 1' and extend downwardly to a winding spit or mandrel k, which isjournaled in bearings at the front of the machine. The cloth passesvertically from the roll i to the spit or mandrel 7c and is spread outtherebetween, so that it can be conveniently viewed or inspected by theoperator before it is wound up. The roll 'a' is journaled in the ends ofthe crossbars 5, which project from the front of the frame far enough toenable an observer to be stationed between the frame and the portion ofthe cloth that is stretched between the roll 71 and mandrel 70, so thatthe cloth can be examined by looking through it or from its back towardthe light, this operation being known as examining the ground of thecloth. This arrangement, whereby the operator is enabled to convenientlyexamine the ground of the cloth, is an important feature of myinvention, as a large proportion of cloths require to be examined inthis way.

The operation of my improved machine is as follows: When it is desiredto ascertain whether a piece of cloth has the full quantity withoutgoing to the trouble of unfolding it, the operator passes it over themeasuringcylinderb and deposits it, as it passes the said cylinder, uponthe extended section 2 of the table. If it appears that the roll orpiece of cloth has not the full quantity represented, it is rewound, andthe operator does not examine or test it. If the quantity is correct,the section 2 of the table is pushed in tocarry the cloth toward theback of the frame, and the operator, taking the end of the piece,unfolds it and secures it to the belts ff by means of the clamps h h,this being the com- .mencement of the opening or spreading of the cloth.The belts are then set in motion by rotating the pulleys g g by hand orotherwise, and the cloth is thus carried along to the front of themachine, and after reaching the front the end of the cloth is releasedand allowed to descend over the roll 2' to the winding spit or mandrel.As fast as the cloth is examined, either from the front or from theback, it is wound upon the mandrel. When the last end of the piecereaches the belts f f, it is secured thereto by means of the clamps h h,which are at this time at or near the pulleys g g, the clasps h beingleft at this point when the movement of ,the belts was stopped. Saidclamps h hold the last end of the cloth and prevent it from falling fromsaid belts and the roller iuntil it is released by opening the clamps h.Time is thus afforded for the examination of the last end of the cloth.If said end were not attached to the belts, as described, it would fallbodily from the belts as soon as it reached a point near thepulleys 9without giving the observer or examiner a proper viewof said end.

If desired, a smoothing-r0110, having spiral ridges or strips secured toits periphery and arranged like right and left screw-threads, may bejournaled in the upper portion of the frame a, and arranged to act uponthe cloth between the pulleys g g, so as to remove wrinkles from thesame, the spiral strips acting to carry any Wrinkles or fullness in thecloth toward the outer edges thereof.

I claim 1. The combination of a supporting-frame,

a sectional table, the sections of which are adapted to slidehorizontally in guides at the lower portion of said frame, ameasuring-cylinder, and guide-rolls co-operatin g therewith, whereby thecloth, after passing the measuring-cylinder, is permitted to fall upon asection of the table to be carried by a sliding movement of the latterto the back portion of the frame, as set forth. I

2. In a cloth opening and measuring machine, the combination of asupporting-frame having the extended cross-bars 5 and theclotlrsupporting table, the pulleys g g g g,

the latter being journaled in the outer ends of said cross-bars, thebeltsf f on said pulleys, having the cloth-clamps h h and h h, theclamps h h being located at a distance from the clamps h h, whereby thesaid clamps h h are enabled to support the last end of a piece of clothwhen it reaches the pulleys g g, all arranged and operatingsubstantially as set forth.

3. In a cloth opening and measuring machine, the combination of thesectional table,

the cloth-measuring devices, the cloth open- I ing and feeding beltshaving clamps or clips, and a rewinding spit or mandrel arranged belowthe delivering portions of said belts,

whereby the cloth passing from the belts to

